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Time-sheets Deadline for Easter

HR advises us today that time-sheets, because of the Easter holidays, are due earlier than normal. Time-sheets therefore are now due this Friday 30/3/07 at 5 pm (instead of 5 pm Tuesday 03/04/07) at the Division.

Congratulations to Professor John Stephens

We congratulate Professor John Stephens, Department of English, who has received the 11th International Brothers Grimm Award.

This Biennial Award is made to a scholar who has produced an outstanding body of research into children's literature. Judged by an international panel of scholars, it recognizes its recipients as researchers at the very top of the field both in their home countries and internationally. John Stephens is the first Australian to be honoured in this way.

Christie

English Seminar

The ERS series continues next week with more reflections on creative writing. Poetry is the subject this time, with a talk from the highly regarded award-winning poet Jill Jones. She is the author of six poetry collections, including _Broken / Open_ (2006), _Struggle & Radiance: Ten Commentaries_ (2004) and Screens Jets Heaven (2002). Jill Jones will speak about writing poetry in terms of being situated in the world, through such determinants as topography, memory, identification and displacement.

Title: “Being Present: A Poetics in the World”
Date: Monday 26 March,
Time: 1 pm
Venue: W6A 107

All welcome.

Listen to the Harbour Bridge with Harvey Broadbent on ABC Radio National. Saturday 24th March 2 p.m.

Modern History Department's Harvey Broadbent has prepared an impressionistic radio feature for the Radio Eye program to mark this month's 75th anniversary of the Harbour Bridge. Called "Listening to the Bridge' (ABC Radio National 2 p.m. Saturday, 24th March, at 2 p.m. the program is a personal audio reaction to the great edifice and takes listeners to the top of the arch, under the sub-structure and into encounters with bridge people. [20 March 2007]

Message from the Dean, Re: Audit Office of NSW

The Audit Office of NSW is currently investigating the University’s official record keeping practices. As part of this audit, they are requesting access to official records, including: flex-timesheets, leave forms, etc, and the mechanisms that are in place to monitor such leave.

As a result, it is possible that an auditor may request to see random individuals to ensure that timesheets (e.g. Form 11.01a Variable Working Hours Program) are maintained and any flex leave taken is appropriately monitored. It will be greatly appreciated if staff members who are approached can cooperate fully.

To clarify the circumstances under which timesheets should be completed, HR confirms that:

• Staff at Level 8 and below (part-time and full-time) who utilise flex leave are required to maintain timesheets and these must be signed off by their designated supervisor. These are the timesheets found at: http://www.pers.mq.edu.au/forms/11/1101a.pdf .
• In rare circumstances where General Staff are required to work overtime and it has been approved, the appropriate form (1401a) can be found at: http://www.pers.mq.edu.au/forms/14/1401a.pdf .
• All casual staff complete the forms found at: http://www.pers.mq.edu.au/forms/6/index.html .

Regarding leave forms, these must be completed by ALL STAFF (Academic and General at all levels) for all other forms of leave taken, including absence on duty. These are the forms found at: http://www.pers.mq.edu.au/forms/17/index.html and the policies that guide them are at: http://www.hr.mq.edu.au/PMH/17/index.html .

If you have any questions or require assistance, please contact either Raewyn Twynham (Xtn 7070, raewyn.twynham@mq.edu.au) or Carlene Kirvan (Xtn 8736, carlene.kirvan@mq.edu.au).

Department of Modern History Seminar is on

Date: 21 March 2007
Time: 12-1.15pm
Venue: W6A127

Speaker:: John Docker
Title: Genocide, and Questioning of Genocide, in the Classical Greek World: Herodotus, Thucydides, and International Law

Abstract:

In this talk, in terms of Raphaël Lemkins originating definition of genocide and the development of international law in relation to colonization and empire, I wish to focus on the remarkable legacy bequeathed to modernity by the founders of Western historical writing, Herodotus and Thucydides. Both Herodotus The Histories and Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War construct episodes, stories, and dialogues which work emblematically as parables, as allegories, of world history, as relevant today as in antiquity.

In a postscript to Eichmann in Jerusalem (revised 1965 edition), Hannah Arendt argued that genocide was the order of the day in antiquity. In Herodotus and Thucydides there are many examples of genocidal destruction of a society or city state, involving the killing of all males of military age and selling into slavery of women and children, followed by colonization by the victor. It would be a mistake, however, to think that Herodotus and Thucydides endorse such a practice or see it as natural for human societies. On the contrary, they consistently reveal sympathy for the invaded not the invaders, the conquered not the conquerors, and in key episodes in their great histories they evoke episodes and dialogues where those facing conquest and invasion from the rulers of empires and powerful states answer back, decrying the injustice of the threats to their liberty, independence and lives in terms of international humanitarian law, perhaps law that is divinely sanctioned. In Herodotus there are remarkable ethical confrontations of this kind, for and against conquest and colonization, involving Persian and Athenian attempts to invade lands or islands that do not belong to them; in Thucydides there is the famous Melian Dialogue where the Melians offer a dramatic challenge to what they see as Athens empire amorality. The Melians say to the Athenians that if they, the Athenians, destroy them, they will endanger international humanitarian law that is to the general good of all men and which one day could protect the Athenians themselves, and they will be forever dishonoured among the nations. In concluding reflections to my talk, I will discuss the enduring power of such conceptions, concerning the honour of nations and importance of international humanitarian law, in Tacitus in Roman antiquity and in arguments about English justifications for colonization in Ireland and the Americas from the sixteenth century onwards.

(John Docker is an adjunct senior fellow in the Humanities Research Centre at the Australian National University. He writes on a wide range of topics in cultural theory and history, including most recently genocide in relation to both the Enlightenment and settler colonialism. His most recent books include Postmodernism and Popular Culture: A Cultural History (1994), 1492: The Poetics of Diaspora (2001), and, with Ann Curthoys, Is History Fiction? (2005). He is currently working on a new book, The Origins of Violence.)

All welcome.

Alana Sharp in the Enquiry Office is now our contact for printer toner cartridges. Please see her with the full details of the cartridge your machine uses (model and number). Return your old cartridge to Alana who will arrange for it to be recycled.

Room bookings for 107 are handled by Raewyn Twynham (X7070) or Tracy Sullivan (X8870). Tracy also handles bookings for room 127.

Dr Jane Messer (Macquarie)
“A Quarter of My Life: On the Multiple Relations between the Writer and the Work”
Monday 19 March, 1 pm
W6A 107
All welcome.
Enquiries: Paul Sheehan (x8757)

Date: Wednesday, 14 March
Time: 12pm - 1.15pm
Venue: W6A 127
Speaker: Prof. Jim Goode
Topic: 'Negotiating for the Past: Archaeology, Nationalism and Diplomacy in the Middle East, 1919-1941'
All welcome

Hsu-Ming Teo (X7018)

All staff are warmly invited to attend the Humanities prize giving which will be held on Monday 16 April 2007 at 5.00 pm in W6A 107. Please let Raewyn know if you wish to attend. raewyn.twynham@humn.mq.edu.au X7070

The graduation ceremony for the Division of Humanities will be held the following morning Tuesday 17 April at 9.30 am.in the Courtyard E7B. Please let Carlene know if you would like to be part of the academic procession. carlene.kirvan@humn.mq.edu.au X8736

Staff are reminded that there will be a farewell function for Dave Clark-Duff on Thursday 15 March between 3.30 and 5.30 pm at the Staff Club. Cost is $20 - money will go towards a gift for Dave. Please see Jackie Anker (W6A 400) as soon as possible if you would like to attend and to sign the card.

Christopher Dowling, an Honours student in Humanities, has been awarded the Australia and New Zealand Slavists' Association Essay Prize for 2006 for his essay for the Ukrainian Research Option, entitled "God and Ukraine: Issues in the Quest for an Autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church".

This is the second consecutive year that Chris has been awarded the prize, which is judged anonymously by the Executive of the Association.

The Centre for the Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature and
the English Department at Macquarie University present a joint seminar
this week, in the English Research Seminar Series.

Speaker: Professor Robert Dixon (University of Sydney)
Title:: ‘Travelling Mass-Media Circus: Frank Hurley and Colonial Modernity’
Date: Monday 12 March
Time: 1 pm
Venue: W6A 107

All welcome.

Enquiries: Paul Sheehan (x8757) [9 March 2007]

The Division of Humanities Marketing Committee has been working closely with the Humanities web developer, Xinni Du, to update and revamp the Division's website. Thank you to everyone who assisted in this process, especially those who provided text and information for the site. The site is now active (with some pages still to be finalised) and can be viewed at: http://www.humanities.mq.edu.au/. Please note that the URL of certain pages might be different from the old ones - please double-check the URL before you send out the link to students or people outside the University.

We have worked to produce a site that promotes the work we do in Humanities, and also provides information and resources for both students and staff. All feedback and advice is welcome - if you experience any technical problems, please contact Xinni (Xinni.Du@humn.mq.edu.au) and if you have any queries about the site's content, or if you have news you would like to promote on the site, please contact either Xinni or Michelle Arrow ( Michelle.Arrow@humn.mq.edu.au ). [6 March 2007]

Speakers include:
Damien Kingsbury (Deakin University)
Joshua Castellino (University of Ulster, UK)
Mikulas Fabry (Smith College, USA)
Lloyd Cox (Macquarie University)
Jim Headley (University of Otago, NZ)
Judy Lattas (Macquarie University)
Edward Aspinall (ANU)
Anne Twomey (University of Sydney)
Tom Hillard (Macquarie University)

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME: http://www.law.mq.edu.au/html/pdf/Secession_Conf_Program_3-07.pdf

Admission free
If you are planning to attend the conference or require further information about the conference please contact Sasha Pavkovic at apavkovi1@yahoo.com or 0415 178 559.

European Languages Seminar

Professor Ortrud Gutjahr,University of Hamburg

The intercultural Bildungsroman. Emine Sevgi Özdamar’s "Die Brücke vom Goldenen Horn" as an example of a new genre

Friday, 9 March, 4 pm, European Languages Resources Room

All welcome.
Wine and cheese will be provided after Professor Gutjahr’s talk.

For further details please contact: Dr Ulrike Garde 9850-7051

Our first speaker this year is Ortrud Gutjahr, who is Professor of German Literature and Intercultural Literary Studies at the University of Hamburg. Professor Gutjahr has published widely on intercultural literature, film and theatre as well as on cultural theory, gender studies and psychoanalysis. Her most recent books include “Kulturtheorie” (2005), Introduction to the Bildungsroman (2007) and “Elfriede Jelinek’s Ulrike Maria Stuart” (2007). She is currently Visiting Scholar at Macquarie University working with A/Prof Martina Möllering on the MURDG-funded project: Voices from the fringe of a multicultural society: Feridun Zaimoglu’s ‘Kanak Sprak’.

In her talk, Professor Gutjahr will discuss Özdamar’s acclaimed novel against the background of the German tradition of the Bildungsroman , arguing that recent so-called migration literature is providing fresh impetus to a genre, which was originally established in the late 18 th century. Introducing the term Interkultureller Bildungsroman, Professor Gutjahr outlines the emergence of this new type of the genre, paying particular attention to those transformative and innovative elements that hint at cultural change.

A reminder that 2006 parking permits are no longer valid.

If you have not already done so, could you please collect from the cashier's office, the 2007 parking permits for any University vehicles under your division/department's management.

Your vehicles are at risk of being fined unless a current 2007 permit is displayed.

Any queries, please contact either Joseph Dikha on extension 7135 or the Cashier's office on extension 7229.

Clare Rowan, Ancient History, has been awarded a prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship for a MA by coursework at Cambridge University 2007-8!

This means both Ronika and Clare are now Commonwealth Scholars - both richly deserved and a wonderful outcome for all they have done for Telemachus. [5 March 2007]

Last weekend the Division of Humanities hosted the inaugural Macquarie-Newcastle Humanities Postgraduate Research Symposium held on campus on Saturday 24 February. The theme, designed to have broad interdisciplinary appeal, was “The Power of Perceptions.” The idea for the symposium came from Dianne Osland (Newcastle) and Marea Mitchell (Macquarie) who wanted to encourage cross-campus collaborations partly as a result of their own successful collaboration in research and publication. The intention was to generate a space for postgraduate students to work together to organize a conference run by students for students. While the presentation of papers offers opportunities for developing communication skills and intellectual exchange, the idea was also to develop related skills such as assessment of abstracts, selection of papers, co-ordination of a research event. We hoped to broaden research cultures within and across the two universities. The day was sponsored by the Division of Humanities at Macquarie, and the School of Humanities and Social Science at Newcastle and MUPRA.

Following a call for papers, 40 abstracts were received, from which eighteen were chosen, following selection criteria developed and applied by the HDR student panel. Two streams of eight papers were then presented throughout the day. Sixty-four students attended. Evaluation was carried out through a questionnaire, which provided very favourable feedback. The organizing committee consisted of Steve Townsend (Macquarie: Chair), Lazar Maric (Macquarie) and Yvette Rowe (Newcastle).

The second stage is to pursue the establishment of an online journal for referred articles, and the third stage is to host the second conference at Newcastle. Organizers may also consider developing grant applications to resource the journal and future conferences. The University of Western Sydney has also expressed interest in joining Macquarie and Newcastle in this venture.

Regards
Christie [1 March 2007]

Modern History and Politics Joint Seminar

by Dept of Modern History and the Dept of Politics and International Relations

Date: Wednesday, 7th March
Time: 12pm - 1:15pm
Venue: W6A127
Speaker: Stephanie Lawson
Topic: "History, Politics and the Cultural Turn"

All welcome

Title: "Human Rights in Colombia and the work of the Peace Brigades International"
Date: Monday 5 March
Time: 1 pm
Venue: W6A 127
All welcome.

Jodie Martire has just returned from Colombia, where she spent 15 months as a volunteer with Peace Brigades International (www.peacebrigades.org/colombia.html) as an international human rights observer. She provided protective accompaniment (unarmed bodyguarding) and political support to Colombian human rights defenders and members of communities of internally displaced refugees (IDPs). Prior to heading to Colombia, Jodie had worked with PBI Australia for two years as their (volunteer) representative for the Projects in Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico, conducting political work in Australia. Jodie is conducting a two-month speaking and media tour of Australia to talk about the organisations she accompanied in Colombia and the work of PBI, and then plans to move to Mexico later this year to work in the field of women's human rights

'On Thursday 8 March 2007 the IUEU Centre is hosting Andrew Schuller, a former publishing executive with Oxford University Press, to speak about academic publishing opportunities. He will be available for brief personal consultations in the afternoon. All staff are welcome to take advantage of this opportunity. To do so, email xinni.du@humn.mq.edu to organise a time, including a brief background of what you would like to cover in the consultation'

The English Research Seminar series resumes next week on a new day (Monday), at a new time (1pm), on a weekly basis. We have the usual combination of invited guest speakers, staff members and postgraduate students, and everyone is encouraged to attend.

Our first speaker for the year is Andrew Benjamin, who is Professor of Critical Theory in Design and Architecture at UTS. Professor Benjamin has published widely on philosophy, literature, critical theory and painting. His recent books include _Style and Time: Essays on the Politics of Appearance_ (2006), _Disclosing Spaces: On Painting_ (2004), and _Philosophy’s Literature_ (2001).

The philosophical is often conceived of in terms that exclude the animal. But what would the consequences be, if philosophy were constrained to reintroduce the animal? Professor Benjamin pursues this issue through the ‘logic of disease’ that Hegel develops in his _Philosophy of Nature_ - a logic that includes the Jew. In those terms, Judaism is a disease for which there is a cure. There is no cure, however, for animality, suggesting a conception of alterity that resists any kind of general or universal incorporation.

Title: ‘What if the other were an animal? Hegel on Jews, Animals and Disease’
Date: Monday 5 March
Time: 1 pm
Venue: W6A 107
All welcome.

Conference on Russian language, literature, culture, and history
A Conference on Russian language, literature, culture, and history will be held from October 19-21, 2007 in Sydney, Australia

The conference is being organized by Russian Studies in the Department of European Languages at Macquarie University. For further information and queries  about the Conference, please contact the organizing committee:

A/ Prof.Dr. Nonna Ryan (nonna.ryan@mq.edu.au)
Dr Marika Kalyuga (mkalyuga@hmn.mq.edu.au)

Russian Studies
Department of European Languages
Macquarie University
Balaclava Road, North Ryde,
NSW 2109
AUSTRALIA

Tel: +61 2 9850 7048
Fax: +61 2 9850 7054

The conference will be held in Sydney, one of the most beautiful cities of Australia, and aims to bring together academics from around the world to share their research in the areas of Russian language, literature, culture, and history.

The Conference will cover the following main areas :

• Russian Language and Linguistics
• Russian Literature
• Russian and Comparative Cultural Studies
• Russian History and Politics
• Translation Studies in Russian  
• Rusistics and Cognitive Sciences

Papers dealing with other topics, related to any of these areas, are also welcome .

The plenary speaker: Dr. A. V. Golubeva, St Petersburg University

Abstracts:

• Abstract submission : July 20, 2007. Abstracts should be no more than 200 words, in Word format and sent as e-mail attachments to Dr Ryan at nonna.ryan@mq.edu.auor to Dr Kalyuga at mkalyuga@hmn.mq.edu.au
• Language of abstracts: English or Russian.
• Notification of acceptance: August 1, 2007.

Duration of a paper presentation : 20 minutes

Conference fees:

• $A50, for students – $A20

The payment should be made to the Organizing Committee after the arrival to the Conference.

Please, feel free to distribute information about the Conference to your colleagues!
[1 March 2007]

Message from the Dean
Although many of us have been in W6A through the summer, only next week does the academic year formally begin.

I want to welcome new staff: Bert Peeters and Brigitte Jandey are joining European Languages in French; and Ben Goldsmith is taking up an appointment in Politics and International Relations. Penny Griffin and Lavina Lee will also join Politics and IR over the next months. Ken Parry, Malcolm Choat and Peter Edwell, although familiar faces, are taking on new roles in Ancient History.

2007 will be a busy year. To those of you returning from research trips or leave, whether digging in Egypt or wandering cooler climes, we have had a fairly torrid period at Macquarie, and expect the pace of change to accelerate. I am sure we all look forward to the challenges. We are really delighted with the building works on Level 2 and 4 which, I am told, will be complete by Monday. The transformation is extremely impressive, as is the timeliness of the work. We all hope that the courtyard, which to our surprise is to be refitted with tables, wireless internet and power and a sail, will also soon be complete.

Twenty ARC applications were submitted by members of the Division, which is an impressive tally. As we begin to record the publications for 2006, there are some 14 monographs and edited works, dozens of refereed articles and four major international journals edited within the Division. It explains some of the activity over the summer; we have also, as for the last 20 years, had groups studying languages such as Ancient Greek and Arabic. Students have also been seeking advice over the summer: Rosemary Colmer ably coordinated the staff advisors.

At the last divisional meeting, Carlene and I promised to keep all staff abreast of what is happening in the executive. Our last executive meeting was concerned with annual reports, one of which has been sent to Senate. Another is due at the publications office on Friday – we will post it to the website as well. The new website for the Division is expected to go live for the beginning of semester. We have been occupied with our presentation for the Academic Program Committee, which took place this morning and went well, with in principle approval for all the programs we presented. Judyth Sachs indicated that the APC would be restructured and will focus in future on broad strategic issues. She has constituted a Teaching and Learning Committee on which Marnie Hughes-Warrington has agreed to serve.

We had a successful year in HDR completions in 2006, with 25 completions noted by the HDR unit. A seminar will be held on Saturday 24 February in which HDR students from Newcastle and Macquarie will present their research. In other research news, the Modern History and IUEU sponsored event on February 14 on Global Convergences was impressive. The RQF process will be very demanding this year: Macquarie is planning a trial process with Newcastle mid-year.

Finally we mention the death of Dr William Gale, who has long been associated with the Department of Ancient History, and donated the core of the coin collection of the numismatic museum. He is a great loss. We commiserate with his wife Janet, whom we hope will continue her long association with us.

Regards,
Christie [20 February 2007]